Hooded plover

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Hooded plover
Thinornis rubricollis - Orford.jpg
At Prosser River Spit, Orford, Tasmania, Australia
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Charadriidae
Genus: Charadrius
Species:
C. cucullatus
Binomial name
Charadrius cucullatus
Vieillot, 1818
Range map of Thinornis rubricollis.png
Range
Synonyms [2]

Charadrius rubricollisGmelin, 1789
Thinornis rubricollis

Contents

The hooded plover or hooded dotterel (Charadrius cucullatus) is a species of bird in the family Charadriidae. It is endemic to southern Australia, where it inhabits ocean beaches and subcoastal lagoons.

Taxonomy

The hooded plover was formally described in 1818 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot under the current binomial name Charadrius cucullatus. [3] The binomial name Charadrius cucullatus was at one time treated as a junior synonym of Charadrius rubricollis Gmelin, 1789, [4] [5] but in 1998 the American ornithologist Storrs L. Olson designated a lectotype for C. rubricollis and made it a junior synonym of Tringa lobata Linnaeus, 1758, now the red-necked phalarope Phalaropus lobatus. [6] [7] In the early 2000s the hooded plover was moved from the original genus Charadrius to the genus Thinornis, along with the shore plover. [7] A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2015 found Thinornis was embedded within the genus Charadrius . [8] This was confirmed by another study published in 2022, [9] and as a result the hooded plover was moved back to Charadrius. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. [10]

Description

A breeding pair Hooded plover444.jpg
A breeding pair

The hooded plover is medium in size for a plover, stocky, and pale in colour. Its length is 190 to 230 mm (7.5–9.1 in) and its wing-span 230 to 440 mm (9.1–17.3 in). It has a black hood and throat with a white collar. Its red bill has a black tip. It has a red eye ring and orange legs. [11] Underparts are white. Males and females are similar. Adults and juveniles are similar except the juveniles do not have the black head and hindneck, which are instead a sandy brown. [12]

Distribution and habitat

Its natural habitats are freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, coastal saline lagoons, and sandy beaches. Heavy populations are found on beaches with seaweed and dunes. It is threatened by habitat loss because of its small population and limited native range. It is a non-migratory inhabitant of coastal and subcoastal Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, and is a vagrant in Queensland.

Behaviour

Eggs Hooded Plover eggs444.jpg
Eggs

Breeding

A clutch of 1–3 eggs is laid from August to March, which includes also the peak of the Austral summer tourist season in its range and it is thereby heavily impacted by human activities. [13] [14] The eggs are a matte beige or cream colour heavily sprinkled with dark brown and lavender markings, especially at the larger end of the egg. Pyriform in shape, they measure 37 mm × 27 mm (1.46 in × 1.06 in). [15] Eggs hatch in about 30 days. [15]

Food and feeding

The eastern population eats a variety of invertebrates but little is known of the diet of the western population. [13] [14] Specifically it eats insects, bivalves, and sandhoppers. It is usually seen in pairs or small groups near the water. For breeding it will dig a shallow scrape in sand or gravel above high-water mark and line it with pebbles, seaweed, and other debris. [12] Males and females spend equal amounts of time incubating the eggs, although males tend to incubate more at night. [16]

Threats

The population of hooded dotterels has declined in eastern Australia as a result of disturbance by people, dogs, cats and horses, as well as predation by silver gulls (Larus novaehollandiae), ravens (Corvus spp) and introduced foxes. [13] [14] Fox predation is a major threat to the western subspecies. In 2000 the number of mature individuals was estimated at 7,000. [13]

Conservation

Conservation Status by Region
AUSNSWVICTASSAWA
Charadrius cucullatusVulnerable [17] Critically endangered [18] Vulnerable [19] Conservation Concern [20] Vulnerable

Important Bird Areas

BirdLife International has identified the following sites as being important for hooded dotterel conservation: [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charadriidae</span> Family of birds

The bird family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings. The family contains 69 species that are divided into 10 genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-fronted dotterel</span> Species of bird

The black-fronted dotterel is a small plover in the family Charadriidae that is found throughout much of Australia and New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowy plover</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurasian dotterel</span> Species of bird

The Eurasian dotterel, also known in Europe as just dotterel, is a small wader in the plover family of birds. It is the only species placed in the genus Eudromias.

<i>Charadrius</i> Genus of birds

Charadrius is a genus of plovers, a group of wading birds. The genus name Charadrius is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. They are found throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson's plover</span> Species of bird

Wilson's plover is a small bird of the family Charadriidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banded lapwing</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double-banded plover</span> Species of bird

The double-banded plover, known as the banded dotterel or pohowera in New Zealand, is a species of bird in the plover family. Two subspecies are recognised: the nominate Charadrius bicinctus bicinctus, which breeds throughout New Zealand, including the Chatham Islands, and Charadrius bicinctus exilis, which breeds in New Zealand's subantarctic Auckland Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand dotterel</span> Species of bird

The New Zealand plover is a species of shorebird found only in certain areas of New Zealand. It is also called the New Zealand dotterel or red-breasted dotterel, and its Māori names include tūturiwhatu, pukunui, and kūkuruatu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-fronted plover</span> Species of shorebird of the family Charadriidae from Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar

The white-fronted plover or white-fronted sandplover is a small shorebird of the family Charadriidae that inhabits sandy beaches, dunes, mudflats and the shores of rivers and lakes in sub-saharan Africa and Madagascar. It nests in small shallow scrapes in the ground and lays clutches of one to three eggs. The species is monogamous and long-lived, with a life expectancy of approximately 12 years. The vast majority of pairs that mate together stay together during the following years of breeding and retain the same territory. The white-fronted plover has a similar appearance to the Kentish plover, with a white fore crown and dark bands connecting the eyes to the bill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-capped plover</span> Species of bird

The red-capped plover, also known as the red-capped dotterel, is a small species of plover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inland dotterel</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentish plover</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shore plover</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-chested dotterel</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-billed plover</span> Species of bird

The long-billed plover is a species of wading bird in the family Charadriidae. It can be found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Russia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The long-billed plover is a migratory bird, so it breeds and spends the winter in different parts of its range. This bird can often be spotted along the shores of rivers, streams, in wetlands, and rice fields. It forages on the shoreline primarily for aquatic insects, insect larvae, and other invertebrates. It is difficult to distinguish between male and female individuals because of their similar plumage. The breeding season starts at the end of February or early March and ends in July. A male and a female forms a monogamous pair and maintains their territory throughout the breeding season. A global population survey in 2016 assessed the long-billed plover as a species of least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Cape Blanche Conservation Park is a protected area located on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia about 25 kilometres south of Streaky Bay. It was proclaimed under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 in 2012 for the purpose of protecting ‘important breeding habitat for the eastern osprey and white-bellied sea-eagle ’ and ‘diverse range of flora’ including ‘the West Coast mintbush ,’ and to provide ‘provide important habitat for threatened shorebirds and migratory birds, including the hooded plover, sooty oystercatcher(Haematopus fuliginosus) and sanderling .’ The conservation park is classified as an IUCN Category III protected area.

Searcy Bay Conservation Park is a protected area located on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia about 25 kilometres south of Streaky Bay.

The dotterel or Eurasian dotterel is a species of plover found in the Northern Hemisphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern New Zealand dotterel</span> Subspecies of bird

The northern New Zealand dotterel or northern red-breasted plover is a shorebird which breeds exclusively on beaches in New Zealand's North Island.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Thinornis rubricollis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. ↑ "Thinornis cucullatus". Avibase.
  3. ↑ Vieillot, Louis Pierre (1818). Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle, appliquée aux arts, à l'agriculture, à l'économie rurale et domestique, à la médecine, etc (in French). Vol. 27 (Nouvelle édition ed.). Paris: Deterville. p. 136. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.20211.
  4. ↑ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1934). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 2. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 247.
  5. ↑ Piersma, T.; Wiersma, P. (1996). "Family Charadriidae (Plovers)" . In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. pp. 384–443 [439–440]. ISBN   978-84-87334-20-7.
  6. ↑ Olson, Storrs L. (1998). "Lectotypification of Charadrius rubricollis Gmelin, 1789". British Ornithologists' Club. 118 (4): 256–259.
  7. 1 2 Dickinson, E.C.; Remsen, J.V. Jr., eds. (2013). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World . Vol. 1: Non-passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. p. 205. ISBN   978-0-9568611-0-8.
  8. ↑ Dos Remedios, N.; Lee, P.L.M.; Burke, T.; Székely, T.; Küpper, C. (2015). "North or south? Phylogenetic and biogeographic origins of a globally distributed avian clade" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 89: 151–159. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.04.010. PMID   25916188.
  9. ↑ Černý, David; Natale, Rossy (2022). "Comprehensive taxon sampling and vetted fossils help clarify the time tree of shorebirds (Aves, Charadriiformes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 177: 107620. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107620. PMID   36038056.
  10. ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (December 2023). "Buttonquail, thick-knees, sheathbills, plovers, oystercatchers, stilts, painted-snipes, jacanas, Plains-wanderer, seedsnipes". IOC World Bird List Version 14.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "Hooded Dotterel". Biodiversity Information Explorer. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  12. 1 2 "Hooded Plover". Birds in Backyards. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis". BirdLife International . Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  14. 1 2 3 "Thinornis rubricollis". IUCN Red List . IUCN. Retrieved 4 June 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  15. 1 2 Beruldsen, Gordon (2003). Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs. Kenmore Hills, Qld: self. p. 221. ISBN   0-646-42798-9.
  16. ↑ Ryeland, Julia; Magrath, Michael J. L.; Weston, Michael A. (2021-12-28). "Day–night cycle influences the division of incubation in the Hooded Dotterel (Thinornis cucullatus)". Ibis. 164 (3): 785–792. doi:10.1111/ibi.13040. ISSN   0019-1019. S2CID   245348998.
  17. ↑ Environment, jurisdiction=Commonwealth of Australia; corporateName=Department of the. "Thinornis cucullatus cucullatus — Hooded Plover (eastern), Eastern Hooded Plover". www.environment.gov.au. Retrieved 2020-06-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ "Hooded Plover - profile | NSW Environment, Energy and Science". www.environment.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  19. ↑ "Hooded Plover". www.swifft.net.au. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  20. ↑ Bryant, Sally (2002). "Conservation assessment of beach nesting and migratory shorebirds in Tasmania" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  21. ↑ "Hooded Plover". Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
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